Next billion mobile phone subscribers will come from emerging markets
like Pakistan
Karachi, 9th April, 2010: Expanding the portfolio of its Entry Solutions in Pakistan, Nokia Pakistan today announced the latest additions to its most affordable device range at their launch event: Nokia 2690, Nokia 2220, Nokia 1616, Nokia 1800 and Nokia 1280.
Leading analysts around the world believe that it is emerging markets like Pakistan that will lead the future of mobile communications in coming years. By 2015, 83 percent of the global population will be living in emerging markets. As developing world incomes rise, household spending on mobile phones, and the opportunities they are bringing people, grows faster than spending on energy, water or indeed anything else. So where will the next billion mobile phone subscribers come from? Analysts at Juniper research believe that 80 percent or more of all new mobile phone subscribers per annum will come from emerging markets.
Talking about the significance of Pakistan as an emerging market, Imran Khalid Mahmood, Country General Manger, Nokia Pakistan and Afghanistan said, “Pakistan is a market with a growing telecom sector that provides us with many new avenues to bring more affordable and valuable solutions to this market. Most of us take the convenience of using a mobile phone for granted, but for billions of people, mobile devices and services can transform their lives. Many people in emerging markets are using the mobile in more powerful ways than those in the developed world. Their first ever internet experience will be on their mobile phone and services like mobile email are seeing some of their highest adoption rates in developing countries. Nokia doesn’t apply one size fits all strategy to all emerging markets; rather we study the consumer patterns in each market to bring out the most relevant solutions to the market. Making more possible for Pakistani masses, we are now introducing the most affordable Nokia devices to date that offer a great value for money.”
Sharing the details of new entry mobile phones launched, Haseeb Ihtisham, Marketing Manager, Nokia Pakistan and Afghanistan said, “Nokia offers to Pakistani market the widest product portfolio to choose from at all price points. The launch of these new entry devices today, Nokia 2690, Nokia 2220, Nokia 1616, Nokia 1800 and Nokia 1280 adds to the growing entry mobile phone range offered by Nokia. The relevant features packed in these affordable phones are flashlights, calendars, durable keypads and long battery life. Nokia has combined these standard features and add-ons like pleasant form factor to bring to Pakistani consumers a perfect low-cost package.”
The new Nokia entry phones announced today the Nokia 1280, the Nokia 1616 and Nokia 1800 are priced very competitively; with the Nokia 1280 being the lowest cost mobile phone to date. All of these phones are specifically designed for people in non-urban areas who require an affordable, reliable device with practical features like a flashlight, speaking clock, FM radio, dust-resistant keypads and multiple phonebooks. While at a slightly higher price point, Nokia 2690 has added features such as VGA camera, memory card support, MMS and Bluetooth and Nokia 2220 is a slide phone with GPRS, VGA Camera, Prepaid Tracker, MMS and Nokia Xpress audio messaging.
